The Marine Museum at Fall River is a cultural gem and contains a wealth of Fall River Maritime History especially Steam Ship and Titanic memorabilia. Discover the art, books, models and many treasures the Marine Museum holds. This is a must see
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The Marine Museum at Fall River is a cultural gem and contains a wealth of Fall River Maritime History especially Steam Ship and Titanic memorabilia. Discover the art, books, models and many treasures the Marine Museum holds. This is a must see resource for landlubbers and mariners alike.

Carol Gafford is a public librarian, family historian, amateur archivist and book savior. She is currently the youth services/outreach librarian at the Swansea Public Library and volunteers for several museum and historical societies including the Marine Museum at Fall River, the Swansea Historical Society and the Bristol Historical and Preservation society. She is the editor of Past Times, the Massachusetts Society of Genealogists and is always looking for a new project to take on.

As we enter into an intense period of forthcoming planetary activity we will have the perfect opportunity to see if the outer planets do, in fact, hold sway over our evolution. This poses an interesting question, especially for those who are on the fence about astrology. It may be easy to cast off astrology as silly, but what happens when it is accurate? What happens when you read your weekly report and it happens to be true? How do you explain themes in your life? And how can an astrologer know so much detail about you with a few simple facts about time and place? What then?

Astrologers were talking about many of our current events over two decades ago when we saw the entry of Pluto into Capricorn as a time when many of our biggest, most trusted structures would, in fact, crumble and either be rebuilt, or vanish. Things we once thought of as unshakeable have come under duress and are now falling down. This is classic Pluto in Capricorn activity. Pluto is the great transformer and, when in Capricorn, a cardinal earth sign, we can expect (as predicted) that large structures, institutions, and foundational entities to fall away and are no longer the secure structures we once thought. We have seen this repeatedly over the last decade as the banking industry, the government, the church, and other large institutions have come under much tighter scrutiny as they show their true colors with so much hidden, for so many years. We were duped. However, the truth always prevails. This is a universal fact and not the credo of any religious, political or philosophical view. Truth is basic and common to all. So where does that leave us?

This planetary activity is accompanied by the presence of Uranus in the sign of Aries. Since Aries is a cardinal sign (fire) it sits in a 90 degree angle to Pluto in Capricorn (cardinal earth). If we look at the astrology chart or wheel we see the current lineup of planets. Pluto is at 90 degrees to Uranus. This geometric relationship represents a challenge, or a step up. The 90 degree angle is one of the basic elements of architecture and all human structure. A simple set of stairs are constructed with 90 degree angles. The step is the best way to envision the challenges. As we move up the stair, lifting ourselves, we make progress through work and forward, upward motion. This is astrology.

What is the role of the planets in our daily lives? Many believe that they do nothing, and yet they are the only real constant that we have in our cosmic neighborhood. They have been there forever and their position does correlate with history, cycles, and recurring themes. In their inter-relationship we begin to see patterns that suggest a logical order and a predictable timing of events. When the Sun and Moon move into the sign of Cancer this summer we will again see another 90 degree angle of cancer (cardinal water) to Aries (cardinal fire) and opposing Pluto at 180 degrees. Events are triggered by the sharp angles and again, we take a step.

This is also true when an astrology chart is cast, based on birth date/place/time. Themes do exist in our lives and they are apparent from the time of our birth. We are born with characteristics, personalities, assets and liabilities, all of which, present us with unique challenges and opportunities. Whether we choose to acknowledge them in terms of time and place is the line between what we see as real and that which we see as impossible. When we stretch our minds to entertain that which may appear unlikely, we may be surprised by a universal logic that supersedes our limited view. This is verifiable each and every week as we see events unfold in a pattern related to the motion of our universe. This is the time of the signs.